Surah Al-Qamar (The Moon): Verse 9

Then, the Almighty repeated some of the previous accounts, saying: {They denied before them the people of Noah, and they denied Our Servant and said, "A madman," and they drove him away.}

In this, there is a consolation and solace for the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as his situation is like that of those who preceded him. In this verse, there are several issues:

The first issue concerns the grammatical rule regarding the agreement of pronouns before the explicit subject (فاعل).

It is agreed upon and considered good practice to use a feminine singular pronoun before mentioning the feminine subject (e.g., kadhdhabat [she denied] before mentioning the female subject).

However, using a plural pronoun before the plural subject is considered ugly by the majority (e.g., saying kadhdhabū [they denied] before mentioning qawmu Nūḥ [the people of Noah]). Why is there this difference?

The Explanation:

1. Femininity is Intrinsic: Femininity or masculinity belongs to the subject inherently and is not caused by the action it performs. If we say, ḍarabat (she struck), the subject does not become feminine because of the striking.
2. Plurality is Contextual: Plurality for actors is established because of their participation in the action they are performing. If we say, ḍarabū (they struck) while they are ḍāribūn (strikers), their plurality is not merely due to their existence together in a place; if they gathered but not all struck, we could not say ḍarabū.
3. The Role of the Verb: The plural pronoun in the verb (ḍarabū) signifies their gathering in the action and their status as actors, not just their existence. Therefore, it is not appropriate to say ḍarabū (plural verb) before establishing that they all participated in the action. One should first establish their status as actors, saying, al-ḍāribūn ḍarabū (The strikers struck).
4. Feminine Case: Conversely, saying ḍarabat Hind (Hind struck) is correct because Hind was already feminine, and the striking occurred from her. It is not that she became feminine because she struck.
5. Contrast with Plural: The plural case is different: they did not become plural and then strike; rather, they became strikers because they gathered in the action. This is why the plural form (ḍāribāt) is sometimes used after the feminine singular verb form (ḍāribah) when referring to a group of females, but the plural form is not used first for a singular feminine or masculine subject. This is also why saying ḍaraba Hind (masculine verb for a female subject) is not good, whereas saying ḍaraba qawm (masculine verb for a masculine plural subject) or ḍaraba al-muslimūn (the Muslims struck) is agreed upon as correct.

When the Almighty said, {They denied before them the people of Noah}, what is the benefit of then saying, {and they denied Our Servant}?

Answers (from several perspectives):

1. Denial of Signs: The first statement, {They denied before them the people of Noah}, means they denied Our signs and the sign of the splitting of the moon (or perhaps the signs brought by Noah). The second part, {and they denied Our Servant}, refers to their denial of Noah himself.
2. Denial of Prophethood/Monotheism: The people of Noah denied the messengers and claimed that God had not sent any messenger. They denied the concept of monotheism (Tawhid). Thus, {and they denied Our Servant} refers to their denial of him regarding monotheism, just as they denied others. This is because the people of Noah were polytheists who worshipped idols. Whoever worships idols denies every messenger and rejects prophethood, arguing that God has no concern with the lower world and that affairs are managed by the stars. Their doctrine necessitated denial.
3. Confirmation and Refutation: The phrase {and they denied Our Servant} serves as a confirmation and a refutation against them. It means: {They denied the people of Noah}, and their denial of Our Servant was not a truthful denial, just as one might say, "He accused me, but I was telling the truth."

Allah frequently singles out the righteous by adding them to Himself, as in {Indeed, My servants} (Al-Hijr: 42), {in My servants} (Al-Ankabut: 56), {Mention Our Servant} (Sad: 170), and {Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants} (Yusuf: 24). Since everyone is His servant, what is the secret behind this specific addition?

Answers (from several perspectives):

1. Honor and Distinction: The famous view is that attributing them to Him is an honor bestowed by God. Singling someone out as "My servant" is a form of honor, similar to {Purify My House} (Al-Baqarah: 125) and {God's she-camel} (Al-A'raf: 73).
2. Fulfillment of Purpose: The intended meaning of {Our Servant} is "the one who worshipped Us." All beings are servants because they were created for worship ({And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me} [Adh-Dhariyat: 56]). However, some fulfilled that purpose and thus became His servant. This is supported by {Be worshippers of Me} (Al 'Imran: 79), meaning, fulfill the intended purpose.
3. Exclusivity (Hasr): The addition implies exclusivity. {Our Servant} means the one who acknowledged no deity besides Us. Whoever follows his desires has taken his own whims as a god. The servant who is attributed to God is entirely devoted to God in every moment—his eating, drinking, and all his affairs are for the sake of Allah. Such people are few.

What is the benefit of choosing the word Servant ('Abd) when saying Our Messenger (Rasūlunā) would have been more indicative of the ugliness of their actions?

The term {Our Servant} is more indicative of his truthfulness and the ugliness of their denial than if {Our Messenger} had been used. This is because a servant is less likely to distort the words of the Master than a messenger is.

This relates to the verse: {And if he [Muhammad] had fabricated against Us some sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, then We would have cut from him the aorta} (Al-Haqqah: 44-46). The implication is that the denial against a mere servant is severe, let alone against a messenger.

{And they said, "A madman"} points to the fact that the people of Noah saw the signs proving his truthfulness, signs they were incapable of replicating. They then claimed he was afflicted by jinn or madness.

This statement further highlights the extreme ugliness of their conduct. They were not satisfied with merely calling him a liar; they called him mad, meaning he speaks things no rational person would accept. A rational liar says things he believes others might accept as true, but they claimed he spoke things no sane person would utter, demonstrating their extreme exaggeration in denial.

Is {and they drove him away} a statement from God, or a narration of their speech?

There is a difference of opinion:

1. Statement from God: Some say it is a statement from God, connected to {they denied} (kadhdhabū). It means: They denied, and they azdajarū (they caused him to be repelled/they were repelled). This is like {They denied and were persecuted} (Al-An'am: 34).
   • Objection: If this were the case, it would have been more consistent to say, "They denied Our Servant and persecuted him" (zajarūhu).
   • Rebuttal: No, this phrasing is more eloquent for strengthening the Prophet's heart by mentioning those before him. {And they drove him away} means they did things that necessitated repulsion (i.e., they reached the point of driving him away from them), to the extent that he abandoned calling them to faith and instead called for their destruction. If the text had said zajarūhu (they persecuted him), it wouldn't necessarily imply he was harmed, as one can say, "They hurt me, but I was not distressed." However, ūdhīya (he was harmed/repelled) implies the action actually occurred, which is what is meant here.

2. Narration of Their Speech: Others say {and they drove him away} is a narration of their words. Their statement was: "He is a madman, and he is azdajar (driven away/repelled)." This means they claimed the jinn drove him away, or they said, "Jinn and he is driven away."

The first interpretation (that it is a statement from God indicating the severity of their actions against him) is considered sounder, and it leads directly to the next verse: